Keywords
primary school, engineering education, design cognition, design assessment, concurrent think-aloud protocols
Abstract
This study examined the design cognition and achievement results of both kindergarten and fourth grade students engaged in engineering design-based instructional activities. Relationships between design cognition and student grade level, as well as quality of student work, were investigated. 30 concurrent think-aloud protocols were collected from individual primary students as they worked in groups to design and make a solution to a design task. The concurrent think-aloud protocols were examined and coded to determine the duration of time the participants devoted to a pre-established set of mental processes for technological problem solving. Significant differences between kindergarten and fourth grade participants were found in the amount of time various cognitive processes were employed. Fourth grade students dedicated significantly more time to the mental processes of Creating, Defining Problems, Measuring, and Testing than kindergarten students. In addition, when examining the think-aloud protocols along with the evaluations of the participant’s design work, it was found that more time devoted to the cognitive process of Managing could be a significant predictor of lower design achievement. These findings can highlight potential areas for improving educational practice based on the cognitive abilities of students at different grade levels and the quality of their design work. As engineering design-based activities become more prevalent for the teaching of STEM-related content and practices, the results of this research, and the employed methodology, may demonstrate a promising practice for better understanding and assessing such education efforts.
Original Publication Citation
Strimel, G. J., Bartholomew, S. R., Kim, E., & Zhang, L. (2018). An Investigation of Engineering Design Cognition and Achievement in Primary School. Journal of STEM Education Research, 1(1), 173–201.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Strimel, Greg J.; Bartholomew, Scott R.; Kim, Eunhye; and Zhang, Liwei, "An Investigation of Engineering Design Cognition and Achievement in Primary School" (2018). Faculty Publications. 5552.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/5552
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2018-10-29
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/8284
Publisher
Journal for STEM Education Research
Language
English
College
Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology
Department
Technology
Copyright Status
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018
Copyright Use Information
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
Included in
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Engineering Education Commons, Instructional Media Design Commons, Other Education Commons, Other Engineering Commons